Panasonic ZS1 vs Nikon L20 Comparison

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Panasonic ZS1

10 MP | 1/2.5" (5.744 x 4.308 mm) CCD Sensor

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Nikon L20

10 MP | 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) CCD Sensor

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Panasonic ZS1 vs Nikon L20 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two Compact cameras from Panasonic and Nikon. Panasonic ZS1 was introduced to market in May 2009 and Nikon L20 was launched in February 2009. There is only 3 months difference between ZS1 and L20 so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

Both cameras have 10.0MP sensors but Panasonic ZS1's sensor is 1/2.5-inch sized whereas Nikon L20 has a 1/2.3-inch sensor.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Panasonic ZS1 and Nikon L20 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Panasonic ZS1 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2009-05-14

10MP - 1/2.5-inch CCD Sensor

ISO 100 - 6400

25-300 mm F3.3-4.9 Zoom Lens

Optical Image Stabilization

2.7" Fixed Type Screen

3 fps continuous shooting

- 640 x 480 video resolution

229g. 103 x 60 x 33 mm

Also known as Lumix DMC-TZ6

Nikon L20 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2009-02-03

10MP - 1/2.3-inch CCD Sensor

ISO 64 - 1600

38-136 mm F3.1-6.7 Zoom Lens

3" Fixed Type Screen

continuous shooting

- 640 x 480 video resolution

135g. 61 x 97 x 29 mm

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Panasonic ZS1 and Nikon L20 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 over Nikon Coolpix L20

Image Stabilization	Optical vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs No	very handy for portraits
Max ISO	6.400 vs 1.600	300% higher Max ISO
Focal Length - Wide	25mm vs 38mm	13 mm wider coverage
Focal Length - Tele	300mm vs 136mm	164 mm longer tele reach
Optical Zoom	12× vs 3.6×	more flexible focal coverage
Max Aperture - Tele	4.90 vs 6.70	faster lens at tele

Reasons to choose Nikon Coolpix L20 over Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1

LCD Screen Size	3" vs 2.7"	0.3 inches larger display
Weight	135 g vs 229 g	94 g lighter
Max Aperture - Wide	3.10 vs 3.30	faster lens at wide

Common Strengths of Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 and Nikon Coolpix L20

Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light

Common Weaknesses of Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 and Nikon Coolpix L20

Fixed Screen	Fixed Type vs No	No flexible viewing angles
External Flash Shoe	No vs No	Not suitable for flash photography
Viewfinder	None vs None	No eye-level shooting option
RAW Support	No vs No	Lower image quality
Max Resolution	10 MP vs 10 MP	Less details and smaller prints
LCD Screen Resolution	230k dots vs 230k dots	Low resolution screens
Manual Focusing	No vs No	No manual focusing modes
Manual Exposure	No vs No	No manual exposure control
Environmental Sealing	No vs No	not suitable for tough conditions

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Panasonic ZS1 vs Nikon L20: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Panasonic ZS1 and Nikon L20 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Panasonic ZS1 has external dimensions of 103 x 60 x 33 mm (4.06 x 2.36 x 1.3″) and weighs 229 g (0.50 lb / 8.08 oz) (including batteries). Nikon L20 has external dimensions of 61 x 97 x 29 mm (2.4 x 3.82 x 1.14″) and weighs 135 g (0.30 lb / 4.76 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Panasonic ZS1 and Nikon L20. Nikon L20 is 42mm narrower and 4mm thinner than Panasonic ZS1 but it is also 37mm taller.

Comparison image of Panasonic ZS1 and Nikon L20 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Panasonic ZS1 and Nikon L20.

Comparison image of Panasonic ZS1 and Nikon L20 Size and Weight - Back View

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon L20 is significantly lighter (94g ) than the Panasonic ZS1 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Weight Comparison

Compact Cameras

ZS1

L20

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Compact Cameras

ZS1

L20

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 (Lumix DMC-TZ6) nor Nikon Coolpix L20 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon L20's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Panasonic ZS1's 2.7" screen.

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.

Panasonic ZS1 vs Nikon L20: Sensor Comparison

Both Panasonic ZS1 and Nikon L20 have 10.0 MP resolution sensors but Panasonic ZS1's sensor is 1/2.5-inch (5.744 x 4.308 mm ) and Nikon L20's sensor is 1/2.3-inch (6.08 x 4.56 mm ).

Since Nikon L20's has a larger sensor area with the same resolution, this means that it also has a larger pixel area hence better light collecting capacity for a given aperture compared to Panasonic ZS1.

Below you can see the ZS1 and L20 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Panasonic ZS1 and Nikon L20 Cameras

As seen above, Nikon L20 has a 1.1x Larger sensor area than Panasonic ZS1. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

Panasonic ZS1 vs Nikon L20 Lens Specs Comparison

Panasonic ZS1 features a 25-300 mm F3.3-4.9 12× zoom lens whereas Nikon L20 features a 38-136 mm F3.1-6.7 3.6× zoom lens.

Panasonic ZS1 has 13mm wider coverage than the Nikon L20. On the other hand, with a max aperture of f3.10, Nikon L20 is faster at widest end. On the tele end, Panasonic ZS1 has 164mm longer reach than the Nikon L20. At f4.90, it is also faster at tele end.

Wide Coverage

Compact Cameras

ZS1

L20

Widest - Ricoh WG-M1

Average

Telezoom

Compact Cameras

ZS1

L20

Longest - Canon SX520 HS

Average

Max Aperture at Tele

Compact Cameras

ZS1

L20

Fastest - Ricoh GR Digital IV

Average

Max Aperture at Wide

Compact Cameras

ZS1

L20

Fastest - Leica D-Lux 6

Average

What types of Photography are Panasonic ZS1 and Nikon L20 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Panasonic ZS1 and Nikon L20 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Panasonic ZS1 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Nikon L20 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Image Stabilization
Small 1/2.5" (5.744 x 4.308 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Image Stabilization
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Panasonic ZS1 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon L20 for Street Photography

POOR

Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.5" (5.744 x 4.308 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details

Small Body
Live-view
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No Image Stabilization
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
38 mm - Poor Wide Angle Coverage
Read the details

Panasonic ZS1 for Sports Photography

POOR

Nikon L20 for Sports Photography

POOR

Image Stabilization
11 Focus Points
300 mm Tele Lens
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
136 mm Tele Lens
No Image Stabilization
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Focus Points
Slow Lens at Tele: f6.70
Read the details

Panasonic ZS1 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Nikon L20 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Compact Body
229g
12.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.5" (5.744 x 4.308 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details

Compact Body
135g
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
3.6X Optical Zoom
Read the details

Panasonic ZS1 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Nikon L20 for Landscape Photography

POOR

25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.5" (5.744 x 4.308 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
No Environmental Sealings
38 mm - Poor Wide Angle Coverage
Read the details

Panasonic ZS1 vs Nikon L20: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Panasonic ZS1 and Nikon L20, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Panasonic ZS1 and Nikon L20 scores compare:

Panasonic ZS1

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #378 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #1058 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Nikon L20

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #455 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #1176 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Panasonic ZS1 has a higher Overall Score than the Nikon L20 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Nikon L20 vs Panasonic ZS1 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1	Nikon Coolpix L20
Brand	Panasonic	Nikon
Announced	2009-05-14	2009-02-03
Body Type	Compact	Compact
Sensor
Type	CCD	CCD
Size	1/2.5-inch	1/2.3-inch
Dimensions	5.744 x 4.308 mm	6.08 x 4.56 mm
Area	24.74mm²	27.72mm²
Megapixels	10 megapixels	10 megapixels
Max Resolution	3648 x 2736	3648 x 2736
Max Native Light sensitivity	6,400 ISO	1,600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	100 ISO	64 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	11	n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	fixed lens	fixed lens
Lens Focal Range	25-300 mm (12×)	38-136 mm (3.6×)
Max Aperture	F3.3-4.9	F3.1-6.7
Macro Focus Range	3cm	5cm
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fixed type
Size	2.7"	3"
Resolution	230k dots	230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None	None
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/2000s	1/2000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	Optical	No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	5.30 m (Auto ISO)	n/a
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	3.0 fps	n/a
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	640 x 480	640 x 480
Video Formats	Motion JPEG	Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	229g	135g
Dimensions	103 x 60 x 33mm	61 x 97 x 29mm
Battery Life	n/a	n/a
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
	Report a correction	Report a correction